


We'll Be Okay

by Crows_Imagine



Series: New Rome's Collegiate Ballroom Dancing Program [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alcohol, Food, Gen, Platonic Jasabeth, no one is drunk but it's discussed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 18:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17309354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crows_Imagine/pseuds/Crows_Imagine
Summary: Realizing that due to the occasion that many people make a huge deal out of, Annabeth thinks it makes perfect sense that Jason lashed out.That special occasion was her birthday. Not just any birthday, but her 21st birthday. The legal drinking age in America. Yeah, she thinks she should have expected Jason's reaction-





	We'll Be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> This is the summer before Percabeth actually meet.

Realizing that due to the occasion that many people make a huge deal out of, Annabeth thinks it makes perfect sense that Jason lashed out.

That special occasion was her birthday. Not just any birthday, but her 21st birthday. The legal drinking age in America. Yeah, she thinks she should have expected Jason's reaction-

That particular year, July 12th fell on a Thursday, so a bar would not have been too crowded, but for the evening, Annabeth decides to stay at her and Jason's apartment with their closest friends.

During the day her family, including Thalia and Jason, all treated her to a big, fancy lunch at Annabeth's favorite Greek restaurant, and proceeded to take her little twin brothers to the movies, just the three of them. Bobby and Matthew graciously let her pick the movie of viewing, and happily clapped when she choose  _The Lego Batman Movie_  (she didn't admit that she had been wanting to see it, anyway). Afterwards, she had dance rehearsal for an upcoming ballroom dance festival in late July. Returning home in the late afternoon, quite close to early evening, she plans to take a short shower.

Jason had other plans.

"Excuse me!" he says, darting around her as he grabs a towel from a basket of clean laundry not yet put away before slamming the bathroom door

Annabeth, with a towel and clean clothes ready in her hands, drops her jaw. "Jason!"

Jason pops his head out of the bathroom. "Yes?" he smiles innocently. "May I help you?"

"Not only was I about to get in the shower, which I mentioned at the end of rehearsal," she huffs. "But it's also my birthday. So may I get in the shower before you?"

"Sorry, got to shower before your party. And you take too long, need to make sure I'm clean before people arrive," Jason says in an non apologetic voice, a smirk covering his face. "Guess you'll have to wait! Oh, can you pick up some ice for the soda cooler?"

He closes the door, making sure to lock it.

"Jason! You little-!"

She stomps her foot. Damn him. Fuming, she grabs her purse and walks to the mini-mart across the street. "Making me pick up ice for _my_ birthday party," she mutters under her breath as she enters the store.

Annabeth picks up a big bag of ice, not bothering to examine it, and hurries to pay for it before it melts a considerable amount.

The cashier, a chatty New Roman College senior named Patty, knows Annabeth and Jason from frequently seeing them at college and at the mini-mart.

"'Sup, Annabeth," she greets as Annabeth places the ice on the counter. "Anything else?"

Annabeth is about to answer no, but she hesitates. "Actually...you drink, right? 

"Occasionally, usually only on weekends," Patty shrugs. "Why?"

"Can you recommend the best alcoholic drink in this store?"

Patty has a look of realization and nods. "I forgot you're turning 21 today! Congrats!" She makes her way towards the end of the counter closest to the beer freezer and points toward the bottom of it.

Patty smiles. "I love the hard strawberry lemonade. It's not too strong, but remember to pace yourself. After all, it's your first alcoholic drink. Or supposed to be, 'cause laws and stuff."

"It will be," Annabeth admits. She never had the desire to sneak alcohol out of her parents' liquor cabinet, though she was curious about the taste. She just had better things to do than get drunk off cheap beer with peers she never wanted to hang out with (she and Jason rarely liked high school parties, especially large ones; they usually stayed in on the weekend evenings back in high school, when they didn't have a tournament). "I love strawberry lemonade, so I'll try it."

Patty rings her up, making a big show of asking for her ID, and Annabeth thanks her for the suggestion.

"Glad to help, and happy birthday!" she calls as Annabeth exits. She returns to her apartment, still slightly ticked off that Jason took her rightful shower when she digs out her keys and opens the door.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" cheers her friends. It is so unexpected that Annabeth nearly drops her shopping bags. "Shit!"

Reyna and Nico laugh while Frank shakes his head with Hazel trying not to smile.

"Language," Frank playfully chides.

"Yes, Annabeth, watch your mouth," Jason teases her, helping her with the ice.

Annabeth glances around the living room and spots a couple of birthday decorations, a cute banner with her name on it and big shiny balloons that spell in numbers 21. On the table is her favorite pizza, cheese with extra olives. “Is why you stole the shower from me?" she inquires.

"Yep!" Jason proudly replies. "I didn't want you to see the decorations."

"This is really sweet, but I still feel sweaty from rehearsal, so..." she trails.

"I forgot you still didn't take a shower," Jason admits. "We'll wait for you." He gets the drinks Annabeth purchased, still in the plastic bag.

"Not too long," Reyna calls, taking a seat on the couch. "I'm hungry for some pizza."

"Birthday girl gets first dibs!" Annabeth calls out as she reclaims her towel and clean clothes.

Reyna groans. "I knew you would say that."

"Think of it like this, you can say that in October," Frank points out.

She tilts her head. "Very true, Zhang. I'll keep that in mind."

Right as Annabeth is about to enter the bathroom, Jason calls her name.

"Yeah?"

Jason removes the strawberry lemonade pack from the plastic bag. "What's this?"

"I bought some drinks. First time I got my ID checked."

"Why did you get checked?" Jason looks at the label closer. "It's  _hard_  strawberry lemonade." He frowns slightly.

She's halfway through the bathroom door. "What's wrong?"

"Annabeth, I think you should-" Jason stops when Nico calls him over to help with the music player.

After a quick shower, alternating between scolding hot and freezing cold since it helps her become more lively after long rehearsals and relax, Annabeth hops out. After drying her hair for a few minutes, she returns to her party.

They eat the delicious pizza, music blasting while they catch up, not having seen each other mostly since Jason's birthday nearly two weeks earlier due to it being summer and hardly being on campus besides rehearsal.

Hazel suggests playing a game after they finish up dinner. "Monopoly?" 

"No!" Nico replies. "I am not playing that with you after last time."

"You're just mad I beat you!" Hazel fires back after taking a seat between Jason and Reyna on the floor. Annabeth sits beside Jason with Nico claiming the empty seat beside her.

"Monopoly is out," Frank decides, setting aside the board game on the kitchen table and sits back on the floor, sitting between Reyna and Nico so they all were in a circle.

Reyna looks at all of the games available. "Cards Against Humanity?"

"Have you played that before?" Annabeth raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?"

Annabeth nods her head towards Frank and Hazel.

"Oh yeah, that's out too, then," Reyna says.

"What for?" Frank asks.

"I don't think I should answer that," Nico says. "Or anyone."

Hazel gives him a curious look. "Why?"

"Trust me on this, Hazel. Just trust me."

Jason hops up. "Anyone want some drinks?"

"You don't happen to have hot chocolate, so you?" Reyna questions with a hopeful tone.

"I'll check," volunteers Annabeth. She jumps up and heads over to the cabinet.

"Hot chocolate in July?" Hazel says.

"Problem with a delicious beverage?"

"Not at all," laughs Hazel. "Just a tad funny, with the warm weather and all."

"Any weather is perfect weather for hot chocolate," Reyna insists.

Jason gets out the hot chocolate mix as Annabeth picks out everyone's choice of soda, and decided to have a taste of her new hard lemonade.

She checks the whole fridge and freezer. "Jason, where did you place my lemonade?"

"Pardon?" He doesn't meet her eyes despite her questioning gaze.

"Where did you place my drinks?" she repeats. "You put them up, right?"

"Yes." Jason awkwardly reaches under the cabinet he's standing at and removes the six-pack.

"Why wasn't the lemonade in the fridge?" Annabeth says, reaching for the bottle opener.

"Not sure."

Annabeth frowns, seeing right through Jason's fib. However, she decides to deal with this issue later and instead makes her way back to their friends.

~~

The game part of the night begins, starting with Paranoia; someone whispers a question in another's ear, to which they reply out loud. A coin is then flipped and depending on heads or tails, the question will be said lid or kept secret.

"What?" Hazel, baffled, looks at a laughing Reyna and shrugging Nico. "You thought I would be most likely to do what?"

Nico repeats, "Ask to take selfies with total strangers because you liked their outfit."

"I am not sure how I feel about that question, Reyna."

"I didn't ask it with the intent of you being the answer!"

Everyone else chuckles. "The game is full of weird questions," Annabeth assures Hazel. She finishes her bottle, once full of light pink lemonade now empty. "I'll be right back." She gets up from her spot in the circle.

Jason's posture stiffens. "Are you getting another one?" he asks, adjusting his glasses.

"Yeah, I drank it all." She lifts the empty glass bottle to show it indeed is empty.e

"Why not have a soda?" Jason prods.

"Because I like the lemonade?" she answers, tilting her head as she gives Jason an odd look. "Is something wrong with that?"

Hazel clears her throat. "Anyone want some more pizza?" she asks, eager to end the awkward air. "I'll just bring the box in case!" She scrambles into the kitchen.

"Well, it's hard lemonade," Jason begins.

"I'm aware."

"So you shouldn't have a bunch."

"It's not like it's straight vodka," Annabeth points out.

"But it's not like it's a regular drink, either."

"If you're afraid of me getting drunk, I'd have to drink the entire case for that to happen. Even then, I probably would only be buzzed."

"You say buzzed like it's not a bad thing!" Jason snaps, eyes flashing in anger.

"I'm at home, not on the road or in a strange place!" Annabeth replies, quite irritated. "I don't plan on getting drunk or anything, what's the problem?"

"Pizza!" Hazel frantically calls, exiting the kitchen with the cardboard box in her hands.  "Who wants pizza?"

"I do," Frank immediately says, getting up to grab a piece from the box. "Thank you, Hazel."

Jason and Annabeth both ignore them. "What is such the thing deal, Jason?"

"I don't want you to do anything you regret!" he yells. "This is how it starts, you try out something. Then you turn to wine, then straight liquor, then before you know it you're in a car wreck and you fucking die!"

Annabeth blinks. _I'm an idiot._ No wonder Jason was so uncomfortable about the whole situation. Guilt pierces her body. _Why didn't I realize that before?_

"I'm sorry," Jason quietly says, staring at the ground. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Annabeth says in the same voice. "I didn't consider how... I didn't think about-"

Jason gives her a sad smile. "It's not your fault. I understand, and I know you won't turn out like her." They don't need to say her name. "Good people can have their lives ruined and I panicked. I don't want you to be one of those people."

Annabeth pulls Jason into a hug. "I won't be," she assures. "None of us will." She combs her fingers into Jason's hair, a soothing manner she likes and knows Jason does too. "We'll be okay." She's referring to more than just the group and not becoming alcoholics, but also the two of them personally. She can't be mad at his initial reaction, with his past. They'll just work on it together.

"We'll be okay," Jason repeats, holding her tightly.

"So... does anyone want any more pizza?" Hazel awkwardly asks.

Annabeth and Jason collapse in giggles, the rest of the group letting out a sigh of relief.

_We're okay._


End file.
